The Digital Silk Road
China’s Expansion in the Digital World
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54200/kt.v5i2.100Keywords:
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), multilateral cooperation, digital silk road, public-private partnership (PPP), telecommunications standardizationAbstract
China’s space program began only a decade after those of the pioneering countries, taking a different approach to the Russian (Soviet), American and European (French, British and Italian) programs. However, its efficiency and ambition are equal to those of its competitors. The Digital Silk Road (DSR), announced in 2015, forms part of China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”. As well as providing access to the BeiDou satellite system, this initiative involves constructing an infrastructure that can track goods traffic from space. It is also capable of much more, including Earth observation and communication services. However, little attention has been paid to the development of communications and IT infrastructure alongside the maritime, rail and road projects being implemented as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. With the development of its communications and IT infrastructure, China is not lagging behind its Western competitors: Chinese giant companies have emerged and are expanding abroad, primarily providing commercial and financial services via the internet.
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